Collide
by Mademoiselle Anime Amour
Summary: Unfortunately, for Riku, his friends merrily decide to go on vacation before the next big quest. What happens on this eventful summer vacation in Radiant Garden is virtually life-changing for our young hero. Rated T. Main Pairing: YuRiku
1. Summer Vacation Planning

**A/N: Hey, guys, what's up? I proudly present to you all my first Yuriku. And I couldn't be happier about posting it! It's a mini-series type deal, so there will only be six chapters. However, a lot happens in these six chapters, so it's not a total waste for you guys. I hope. Anyway, even though this isn't a songfic, the title of the story is indeed taken from the song "Collide" by Howie Day. I DO NOT OWN that song in any way, shape, or form. Basically, I heard this song playing one day during X-mas break, and I got inspired to write this. So, since this is the month of Valentine's Day (though I utterly detest the holiday), I decided to treat you guys with this. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Kingdom Hearts oriented...well, except the games.**

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**Chapter 1: Summer Vacation Planning**

"Well, good thing King Mickey's letter wasn't too urgent," Sora commented upon that rather cryptically worded note the King sent the other day to him and his two friends. "And it's also good that he suggested that we get the summer off. What with the Heartless and Nobodies, I think we deserve a break after a year of working so hard. So, how about it, guys?"

Easing herself onto the bench-like palm tree branch beside Sora, Kairi patted the top of his hand to show her approval. "Yeah. A good old-fashioned summer vacation is definitely what we need right now....even though I really haven't done much."

"It's OK, Kairi," Riku contributed, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Nobody asked you to do anything."

Then again, nobody had asked him to do anything a year ago, and look what he ended up wreaking.

Darkness once claimed his heart, which almost disappeared entirely if he had allowed it to persist much longer than it did. Afterwards, he struggled with that mysterious entity throughout the rest of last year. Because of this, Riku felt as though he lost everything dear to him...or at least he felt like he should have. But, if he had refused to switch sides in the first place, Kairi would have chosen him as her boyfriend. Even though he attempted fruitlessly to rescue her from her comatose state, she preferred Sora still. Right? In any case, those two deserved each other, for they were both kind people with pure hearts. His was tainted with the darkness that once occupied his previously rewarding albeit restless life; therefore, his two friends should have pushed him away. Any sane person would have done so.

Stroking back the lightened brown spikes of his hair, Sora swung his feet back and forth while he gazed at the glinting rays of sunlight. With these luminescent rays reflecting off the azure waves of the endless expanse of ocean, it was just another beautiful day on Destiny Islands. Their home, restored after all they trials they had gone through—no one expected the islands to exist again. However, with Sora's powerful Keyblade that he utilized for the greater good, they shone as brightly and exuberantly as ever before. As if nothing malevolent had ever invaded here. Why did ugly flashbacks emerge at the most peaceful times? No matter what Sora insisted repeatedly in those past two days, Riku knew that it was all his fault. He hoped that he would somehow recover from this suffocating guilt. Gazing blankly out at the lazy, summertime ocean waves, he murmured, "Yeah, a vacation sounds good."

If he could forget what happened to these nearly desecrated islands while on his time away, he would be thankful for that.

Showing just how pleased he was that his friends supported his idea, Sora grinned broadly as though he won a sand castle building contest, which he excelled at in his early years.

"Great! I was thinking that we could all go to Radiant Garden. That way, both of you can get to meet Leon and the others. I'm sure they'll like you two."

Radiant Garden formerly known as Hollow Bastion, a far darker, more sinister name—that place brought back some of the worst memories for Riku. He remembered actually sleeping there in a tiny bedroom devoid of windows, ruining any chance for sunlight to conquer the darkness. There, Maleficent would confide in him regarding some of her vile plots. And, in spirit, Ansem (the falsely named Ansem) would haunt and torment his slumber during the long, agonizing nights. Though called Radiant Garden again, Riku was unsure if he ever wished to set foot there again.

However, he didn't really want to voice his inner thoughts to Sora and Kairi either, since doing that could dishearten them. In every way possible, he planned to redeem himself so as not to be that pathetic, selfish burden he had become as an adolescent wishing to escape the islands. Keeping potentially depressing thoughts to himself was a good start.

So, he pulled off the fakest grin possible (though Sora would buy the act) and declared, "Well, that actually sounds like a good vacation spot. I don't really care, though. I just want to get out of here."

Kairi, on the other hand, looked less enthused. "But, you two just got home. Do you really want to leave so soon? Don't you want to spend at least a couple of days here?"

Sora heaved a sympathetic sigh upon noting his crush's moment of disappointment, clearly displayed by the crestfallen look upon her face. Still, he could hardly believe that out of the three of them, she would be the most prone to homesickness. Then again, who could blame her? The events that unfolded last year along with this year were enough to compel someone to crave for the comforts of home. This meant a great deal, considering the eagerness all three used to feel upon setting out on their first adventure. Their dreams had been so innocent then...

"All right, two more days and _then _summer vacation begins!" Sora proclaimed, his grin whiter and his eyes brighter than childhood days that were long past now. After he shouted this, his friends smiled as all three of them settled into companionable silence.

Regretfully, as much as they longed for it, the tranquil quietness that only they could share abruptly ended when Selphie loudly called their names. The other teens their age knew how obnoxious she could get in the blink of an eye with her voice that reached an octave dogs could hear. Perhaps the other pets on the islands could hear her voice, too. Appearing extremely thrilled over her bit of news, Selphie could barely stop herself from jumping up and down, her agog green eyes drifting toward the three friends. Her gaze momentarily rested on Riku, who almost squirmed. He wasn't even inclined to like her like that, especially since she claimed to be his biggest fan. That would make anyone run to the hills in an instant. He had too many fangirls as it was; in fact, she managed the frenzied girl club in his honor.

"Hey, guys!" she squealed before digging through her khaki purse. "I'm having a party this evening."

Kairi, who miraculously tolerated the girl the most, smiled discreetly, yet the other two boys could tell she really wasn't in a mood for parties. Oddly enough, though, she could simply become the belle of the ball without doing much, merely impressing with her beguiling presence...not like she appreciated that quality very much. No matter how confidently she behaved, she detested excess attention.

Despite all of this, she responded placidly with, "We would like to go to your party, Selphie. So, where's it going to be at anyway?"

"Oh, just a few yards from here. It's going to be a summer beach party with a dance floor and fruit drinks and everything! Oh, and I wanted it to be semi-formal, too."

What was this, a paltry school dance? Riku resisted the urge to roll his aquamarine eyes due to the overall disdain he felt regarding this whole idea. After all, it sounded like a pathetic cliché in itself. Besides, now he would have to search for a stupid tie if it was so semi-formal; honestly, discovering that he would have to go to this party so as not to hurt Selphie's feelings (lousy conscience) frustrated him. After all of his ordeals, he didn't really feel like celebrating. What was there to party about anyway?

Lying once again to his cynical self, he told Selphie unflinchingly, "It's a good idea."

He subconsciously moved further down the tree branch as she squealed, nearly threatening to give him a loving chokehold. That Tilmett girl was just way too enthusiastic for his tastes.

"That's great that you like the idea! Here are your invites—hope to see you there!"

Once she distributed the beautifully done invitations while beaming, she practically skipped away.

Riku breathed out a disappointed sigh, because how would everyone feel looking at the one kid who single-handedly destroyed their world? Maybe they would reject him, shun him to the point that a sense of loneliness would torture him.

In the mean time, he noticed Sora grinning again. "Well, a party is a good start to your vacation."

The silver haired boy merely snorted, a lopsided smirk forming on his lips. "Whatever you say, Sora."

"But, I'm serious, though. Riku, no one is going to hate you."

"OK, sure."

"Come on, it's just a party. How bad can it be? Besides, Selphie means well for all of her crazy randomness. It's harmless," Kairi contributed in assuring.

However, not even the girl of his dreams could convince Riku that nothing catastrophic would happen at the party. He admitted that ever since he almost alienated his friends, he felt a considerable lack of self-esteem. But, he was going to a party, he thought as he searched for a dress shirt within his disorganized closet, he should lighten up for the sakes of the guests. Dwelling on his past would only worsen his everyday life, and the recovery process would be even more laborious. At last, he found a plain white short-sleeved shirt as well as a black tie to complement it perfectly. He decided the formal yet not formal punk look would suit him best that evening. Who knew if Kairi would think him attractive? He hoped more than anything that he could win her love.

Even though she talked gently to Sora too, he also hoped that maybe those two were better off as friends. If he could gain her admiration and trust again, like he had ever since early childhood, he would be alleviated in that knowledge. He cared about her, always had, and maybe she could return those same affections. Suddenly, this thought compelled him to dab on some cologne, so he retreated to his personal bathroom to conduct this. Running a hand carelessly through his silver hair, he emerged from the tile covered room with renewed confidence. Seemingly, he carried that with him as he walked over to Selphie's beach party, which appeared rather stereotypical. Fake tikis overlooked the wooden dance floor, and a stereo system was set up nearby along with a table of refreshments. A bowl of bright red fruit punch sat there, and so did freshly cut pineapples and coconuts. Even delicious kebabs, previously roasted, lay on a plate. Everything looked so delectable on that table.

To no one's surprise, Sora had claimed the refreshments area as his own designated spot, since he promptly picked up a savory meat kebab to chew on. He wore a blue plaid short-sleeved shirt over a white undershirt and khaki pants.

"How come I knew that I would see you at the food table, Sora?" Riku asked as he wore a teasing smirk, ruffling his best friend's brown spikes of hair.

"I don't know." Sora turned to him and shrugged. "Maybe you can read my mind."

"Nah," the silver haired teen waved that aside while punching him in the shoulder. "I just know you too well."

"Hey, have you seen Kairi around?"

"No, I didn't even see her on my w—"

Upon gazing at the most gorgeous sight in the world, more so than the sparkling white sands of the beach, Riku froze toward the end of his sentence. As for his close pal, he nearly choked on his kebab—so much so that Riku thought he needed to perform the Heimlich maneuver. For, what stunned the two boys was Kairi unintentionally, gracefully walking toward them. She wore a teal colored strapless gown that had a slight train stitched to the back of it. To her best guy friends, she appeared as a dream-like goddess, the very picture of perfection.

Laughingly, she joked, "Stare at me, why don't you? What's the matter? I take it you've never seen a girl before."

"Not this amazing," Riku whispered under his breath while Sora exclaimed, "But, you're just so pretty!"

Under the rays of afternoon sunlight, Kairi beamed from true happiness upon hearing these comments regarding her appearance. Just then, Selphie bounded over to them hyperactively.

"I'm about to turn on the music. Any requests?" she asked eagerly, ready to serve her guests. Sora and Kairi glanced at Riku, whose opinion they knew Selphie relied on the most. The adolescent in question leaned coolly back against the table, icily staring at the brunette girl while crossing his arms.

Nonchalantly, he spoke, "I don't care as long as it's punk rock."

"Excellent choice, darling. Anything you pick is the best!" Selphie lauded in her sugary voice, threatening (according to him) to kiss him on the cheek. Luckily, Wakka overheard the request and switched on mosh pit worthy rock music. Much to Riku's dismay, Sora inquired of Kairi for the first dance, and they hardly left the dance floor for the rest of the party.

At one pivotal point in the party, a slow song played as Riku stoically stood by the table, specifically closed to the punch bowl. He kept sipping the tangy fruit juice while softly turning down the fan club members' offer to dance with them. Why would he when he barely knew those girls? All they craved for was the apparent good looks he possessed; they could care less about his personality. Disappointed at the general slim pickings, Riku retreated from the light that the traditional luau fire posts emitted to disappear into the shadows where he belonged. Indeed, he felt more at home away from people than with them. Besides, those simple minded fangirls probably disregarded his absence for all their obsessing and swooning. A slightly cool yet inviting nocturnal summer breeze made the fronds of the nearby palm trees sway. It even stirred strands of his platinum hair playfully, comfortingly.

Riku stared upward toward the winking stars and the equally as silvery moon glowing down upon the dusky gray looking beach. A beautiful night with hardly any clouds in the sky—however, being stuck at this party bothered him. Yes, he had done some socializing, but he could glimpse a certain feeling in each person's eyes: dashed confidence. No one was sure if they wanted to accept him again. He couldn't say that he blamed those kids either. Nearly lost in his shifting thoughts, he heard a rustling of leaves about six feet from where he stood. Curious, Riku crept over to the underbrush...

...and found Sora and Kairi, their arms wrapped around each other, their lips kissing passionately.

Noticing Riku emotionlessly watch them completely startled Sora, who immediately released Kairi from his caring, loving embrace. But, the damage was already done, no need to shamefully hide.

"Oh, hey...Riku. Look, I'm sorry, man. No one was supposed to see it, honest!"

Smoothing down the vaguely disheveled locks of her auburn hair, Kairi added, "Yeah, Riku, I hope you're not grossed out or anything."

Not grossed out, he assumed, but miserably downcast from seeing a long-time crush in the arms of his best friend. For their sakes, though, he would keep this triad of friendship alive.

"No," he murmured to the ocean waves lapping upon the shore. "It doesn't bother me too much. After all, you two deserve each other—you're perfect together."

The couple smiled, and Sora replied, "Thanks, Riku. I'm happy Kairi and I are together now. I actually didn't think this could happen."

"Me neither," Riku had dropped his voice to a whisper before setting off for home.

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**A/N: Forgive me, guys, for using the games' version of Kairi, the version I despise as much as some of the rest of you. She's not going to be that important to the story, really. Aw, bummer, Riku lost out in the love triangle. Tis a shame that he caught those two making out during a party. Yeah, and I bet he felt real festive after that. XP**

**However, more of this is on the way. The next chapter holds something key that changes the entire plot around...sort of. I hadn't felt a need to rush this at the time, so anyway...**

**Could you please review? I really would like to know if I did OK with characterizations and all that. The problem with Riku (along with Zexion) is that he's such a complex character that it's difficult to write him in-character. I hope I pulled it off all right.**


	2. Memorable Introduction

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A/N: Well, I'm happy that this story at least got some reviews. That tells me that it's not an epic fail so far, yay! XD Thanks for reviewing, Ninja Sheik and Rawkstar Vienna! I owe you guys. XDD But, aside from this topic, chapter two is a little bit more interesting. I hope. But, really, it is.

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH at all.**

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For the past two nights, Riku could barely sleep due to the troubling thought that only girl he remotely cared about and his best friend would actually become lovers. Then again, it was obvious ever since Kairi washed up on shore that she and Sora be together, almost like a fairy tale couple. Naturally, Riku had mixed feelings concerning the whole affair: happy that Sora and Kairi gave each other love, sad that she couldn't return his own secret affections, jealous—but, he shouldn't be jealous over this.

He should wise up by getting over her to find someone who could bestow him with the gift of requited love...not crazy, obsessive love like Selphie. No, going out with Selphie was entirely out of the question. He needed to find a girl somewhere else, not on these islands where roughly seventy percent of the girls bragged about being members of his fan club. Really, he was just a sixteen-year-old boy, not a male celebrity!

This morning, as the seabirds sang in their very audible chorus along with the vivid orange sun rising over the horizon, Riku pushed himself off his bed. Dreams taunted him last night, showing heartening images of what could have been. Days going by with the always companionable sun at their backs, nights going by with the sharing of a paupau fruit with a certain redheaded girl, and the memories of broken paradise non-existent. If only none of this had happened, the shattering of the ocean and sky and land (Kairi and Sora and Riku) that disrupted the hitherto balance of their lives. Then again, even the escape savored in dreams could not erase the past, and he knew that better than anyone. He experienced firsthand the true harshness of the world, innocence lost.

To take his mind off these insufferable dreams of longing, he descended downstairs to the kitchen, where he fixed himself some scrambled eggs, a few strips of bacon, and hash browns. Not really an ideal breakfast, but it would at least perk him up somewhat. Besides, he needed all the energy he could get, considering he and his friends would set out on their vacation today. For some miraculous reason barely known to him, Sora had managed to book a gummi ship for a month.

He assumed that maybe Destiny Islands had been smart enough to finally have a gummi garage installed here. If somebody had told him there would be one a year ago, chances were that he probably would have disdainfully laughed. For, in reality, he had turned that cold toward everyone in the worlds, so it seemed. He practically blocked everyone from ever getting near him, from trying to chip away the stone that had encased his heart to discover the real him. After quickly eating his food and gulping down some coffee, he left the house as soon as he retrieved his packed suitcase.

Toting the nearly bursting suitcase over his shoulder, Riku headed toward the bustling village where all of the shops and food stalls and even a library were located. In truth, this small village was the only place where he could so much as take a glimpse into an entire world. All of the sights and sounds ever seen and heard existed: the imploring of a food vendor to try the fruit he sold, the early risers who industriously mowed their lawns, and kids running over to an ice cream stall to sample a recently imported sea-salt flavor. Maybe he should have realized that he didn't need to roam the worlds, when what he needed rested here on these islands. But, once considering that everyone else would shun him, perhaps it was a good idea to spend summer vacation somewhere else. By then, people were sure to forget....that is, if they knew about his betrayal in the first place.

What happened on that day was strictly between him and his friends; really, he doubted anyone else could find out. Still, better safe than sorry—as long as he could release the ill-fated memories of his past, nothing else mattered. This trip would be the first step. Filled with gummi ships of almost every shape and size, the gummi garage had been built specifically for the storage of these sophisticated ships as well as for defense purposes. After all, in the event that another frightening attack on the islands should happen, the citizens could make great use of these high-flying vehicles. However, hopes were generally high when it came to the possibility of that occurring. As Riku walked by these hundred or so ships, he searched for the one that Sora booked.

Unsurprisingly, his close friends selected a cherry red gummi ship with sky blue wings that would help to keep it aloft for hours at a time. Of course, it stood out among the other ships, which was the unsurprising part of it all; Sora always liked to be bold, no matter what the occasion. He had lifted the back "hood" of the ship, Riku noted, to check for any disrepair since not even managers could guarantee a perfectly operating ship. Smudges of oil managed to dirty up Sora's face, noticeable once he shut the hood. Upon glimpsing Riku standing there with an arched brow of half-amusement, Sora hurriedly wiped his hands on a mechanic's rag and rushed over there to greet him. Kairi followed intimately close behind, wearing a simple pair of jeans and a violet T-shirt with a blue butterfly on it instead of that rather revealing pink outfit. In fact, just yesterday she had vowed that she refused to allow Selphie to influence her fashion decisions any more.

"So, I'm guessing you're ready to go, Riku," Sora stated instead of questioned. "Well, we already have our stuff in the back of the ship, so you put your suitcase there, too. And, believe me, this gummi ship is roomier inside than it looks. I think I got a good bargain for the rental. Oh, and one more thing: you have to take your shoes off once inside. We don't want any extra weight."

Riku nodded briskly. "Yeah, that's fine. I'm just glad we don't plan on taking a raft."

The silver haired boy smirked upon that memory once he mentioned it, and Sora and Kairi good-naturedly laughed about that silly, childish fantasy. But, it had been a wistful fantasy full of yearning.

"Well, the times have changed." Sora patted him on the back.

"I agree without any doubt, Sora," Kairi told him in a subtly flirtatious way.

The two of them proceeded to kiss each other, which Riku welcomed yet felt extremely awkward about being subjected to watching some romance scene that could have come straight from a movie. Public displays of affection did happen a lot for dating couples...he just wished that all of them, even his two best friends, would keep it more to themselves. Single people like him just weren't comfortable with that sort of thing. Oh well, he thought simply as they boarded the ship, they needed each other more than him anyway. They looked unstoppable together. As the ship soared through this eerie perception of space that all of the worlds lay in, Sora steered the ship while Kairi would occasionally give him a playful kiss on the cheek. Make it stop. Please.

Oh, he should stop sounding so desperate in his thoughts! That would get him nowhere. So, he casually leaned back against his chair and wasted some pocket munny on an actual vending machine, which produced a can of his favorite soda for him. With a fizz and some of the carbonated sugary liquid spreading on top of the can, he loudly slurped it to distract himself from this excess love. Love could turn into poison pretty fast, didn't they know that? Oh wait, that was just him a year ago. Never mind, hypocrite.

"Wow, you two can't keep your hands off each other," he remarked at one point, smiling cheekily. Well, if he could still joke with them without treating him like the third wheel, he would make the best of things. After all, that was his creed from here on out.

Sora merely shook his head. "Good point, man, but I love Kairi. Oh, here's our stop—nearly missed it back there."

A group of people stood outside the ship once it landed smoothly inside the Radiant Garden gummi ship garage. These people seemed to be the elite warriors of the recently safer hamlet or if not, Sora's friends. That kid had a knack for befriending people, what with his amicable yet naïve nature, which could endear anybody to him. Riku sort of wanted to be like him when it came to that quality. That reminded him of that conversation on the beach, the one in which they realized how strong their friendship bond really was... To this day, he could hardly believe that Sora forgave him for his indiscretions. Faith in someone could really go far. Once the trio disembarked, the group of four people quickly approached them, especially a short girl dressed in ninja clothes who practically ran toward them. Riku thought she looked...interesting.

She seemed the most excitable out of the rest of the people who were a calm, peaceful young woman in pink garb, a stoic man with a Gunblade over his shoulder, and a middle-aged man with a cigarette in his mouth and goggles on his head. Out of all these other people, the teenage girl ensured to greet Sora and his friends first.

"Sora!" she yelled to him in acknowledgement. "It's good to see you again. Are these your friends?"

Apparently knowing this girl quite well, Sora gave her a warm smile. "Yeah, Yuffie, they are. This is Kairi, and this is Riku. These were the two people I was looking for last year."

"Ah, the famous Riku and Kairi! I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie at your service!" Yuffie turned toward Sora's best friend and girlfriend respectively to bestow to them an overexaggerated sweeping bow.

Riku inwardly admitted that he felt rather put-off by this girl's enthusiastic behavior; normally, he would look down condescendingly upon this sort of quality. Yet, there was inevitably something about her that struck him immediately. In spite of that, though, his aqua colored eyes turned ice-cold upon glancing at this outrageous aspiring ninja. Unfortunately, she noticed his glare.

"Oh," she paid sudden attention to him by obviously pretending to ignore his facial expression. "You must be the stoic guy of the group, huh? I should know—Squall here acts like that constantly."

"Yuffie, you know by now it's Leon," Leon sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose exasperatedly.

Crossing his arms as stoically as she made him out to be, he replied cuttingly, "If you knew me, then you'd know why I would be so stoic. At least I'm not delusional enough to think I'm a ninja."

Defiantly placing her hands on her protruding hips as well as pursing her lips into a feigned pout, Yuffie reacted to this by playfully looking at him with her dark eyes and saying, "Well, I'm a little offended by that, Riku. You see, I actually come from Wutai—ninja country, to translate to a newb like you. I'm the real deal. And what are you? The suave guy who ends up as someone in a love triangle?"

Even though she was just guessing by casually remarking this, this stung quite a bit. Considering he recently lost out in said love triangle, the wound was still fresh. Luckily, Aerith (the pink clad girl) had an idea as to how far Yuffie went with her snide yet almost amicable jokes.

"I think we should all go back to our new townhouse to offer our guests some tea," she informed her rambunctious friend.

"Townhouse? Wow, you guys sure came a long way since Traverse Town," Sora spoke lightly.

So, as they all shared tea and midday lunch together, Sora discussed with Leon and Cid concerning the fall-out of Xemnas' defeat among other things. Kairi, in the mean time, candidly discussed her feelings for Sora to Aerith, leaving Riku to reluctantly try to strike up a conversation with Yuffie. How awkward could that be after their snippy dialogue? With his spoon, he kept stirring his green tea as though it and it alone existed, but the ninja girl didn't seem to take the hint. Even as she nibbled her ham and cheese sandwich, she talked to him about everything. And he attempted rather unsuccessfully to disregard her bubbly, lively chatter. Again, something kind of drew him to her.

Slurping her tea, she commented in a wistful tone, "You're so lucky to live on Destiny Islands. I love tropical."

For some odd reason he himself could barely comprehend, he found himself responding with, "I can see why you probably would love to live there. But, after a while, it gets kind of boring."

Much to his surprise, for he had assumed she didn't care about his silence, Yuffie exclaimed, "He speaks! Look, you know I was just giving you a hard time earlier, right?"

"Right," he simply stated, continuing to focus on the contents of his tea, especially the leaves. He also took this time to eat his own sandwich, a classic BLT with mayonnaise. As he thoughtfully chewed the last of the bacon, Yuffie's eccentric behavior returned with a vengeance. She leaned extremely close to him from across the table, peering over the chipped rim of his teacup.

"Uh..." Riku tried to articulate, on the verge of blushing. "What are you doing?"

"Tea leaves always mean something, Riku. Don't you know that? I wanna know what yours mean."

Very doubtfully, the silver haired adolescent glanced downward toward the shapeless brown lumps in the tea liquid. Sure, he heard of the whole legend regarding tea leaves, but he had dismissed it as a paltry old wives' tale. Seriously, what was the deal with them? Despite all of this negativity that his thoughts emitted, he could hardly suppress a smile of amusement. Maybe this slightly perky girl wasn't all that bad. Still, best to keep his distance for now. As she squinted to figure out the implication of these lumpy forms, she clicked her tongue unsurely.

"I forget what these would mean," she groaned impatiently, nearly venting her frustration on her sandwich by savagely biting off most of it. "It's not like I live in Wutai, right here, right now."

Aerith seemed to overhear the complaint of her younger friend, for she wandered down the table toward them.

Seating herself on the cushioned seat next to Yuffie, the young woman with the braided light brown hair told her, "I think I can read these leaves, Yuffie. I studied a whole book on tassegraphy to help with my floral business. Aside from that, well...bring the cup over here, Riku."

Nodding slightly while questioning why this was so important, Riku gave his teacup to Aerith, wondering what his fortune would say. He admitted to himself that it couldn't be anything good, and he dwelled on what horrible things he would find out. Kairi and Sora would reject him, perhaps? The next adventure would involve death? Or, worst of all, would the tea leaves say Ansem would arise from the dead?

His heart nearly stopped when Aerith gently informed, "Apparently, love will come into your life soon."

Love? He doubted that he even remotely deserved such a happy, tangible feeling as that. Besides, Kairi had always loved Sora, he could see that now—those two were both pure and loving. Riku couldn't think of two people more meant to be together than his two friends, who certainly gazed adoringly at each other. If Kairi wouldn't be the love interest, then who...?

"Well," Yuffie grinned slyly like a fox that just caught a chicken. "Sounds like you're going to be taken. I wonder who the lucky girl would be."

"I'm afraid the tea leaves don't say that." Aerith got up to leave the table. "Congratulations, Riku."

Those lumpy leaves could hardly be one hundred percent accurate, Riku thought, as he looked over at Yuffie. She still playfully grinned at him, leaning back in her chair.

Riku shook his head, smirking while he ate the rest of his sandwich. "This is going to be a long vacation."

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**A/N: Wow, apparently, Riku has his own fan club. Sad. Especially since he lives on the same island as all those fangirls. Then again, I devised the whole idea of him having a fan club to poke fun at rabid fangirls. I don't know--I thought it was amusing at the time. Oh, and tassegraphy is actually a study of tea leaves. Who knew? Well, I have good ole Wikipedia to thank for that one. Oh, and as for Yuffie, Riku is vaguely freaked out by her...for the moment, hehehehe! XD**

**Please review, guys. That's all I'm asking. And thank you, to those of you who have been reading/reviewing.**


	3. The Art of Building Ice Cream Mountains

**A/N: Hey, there, readers! XD This is, obviously, chapter three of this fic. Hm, not much else to say, except to prepare for instantaneous randomness at any given moment. There will be a few testosterone-fueled thoughts along with sugar highs and what not to when building an ice cream mountain. No, I'm not high. I'll talk about the inspiration for this chapter in a bit. For now, feel free to carry on.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. At all.**

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**Chapter 3: The Art of Building Ice Cream Mountains**

After a dinner consisting of Aerith's perfectly cooked chicken that had twelve spices and herbs, everyone lounged in the living room to watch TV before going to bed. Luckily, the townhouse was so roomy that there were three guest rooms for each teenager of the trio. Leon, Aerith, and Cid lead Sora and Kairi to their rooms while Yuffie insisted she lead Riku to his. This somewhat annoyed the brooding adolescent to say the least. After all, he kept debating within himself whether to accept her or not. Since she knew Sora so well, then why didn't she utterly detest him? This type of enthusiastic, thoughtless kindness confused him.

As she bowed like she had when they first met hours ago, she remarked, "We are going to do such random stuff tomorrow, Riku. Sure, we'll hang out with the others, then it'll be you and me."

He sighed rather exasperatedly, both mentally tired of her persistence and physically tired from the long day he spent departing for this place. If he had known he would experience this....well, it no longer felt like a vacation to him. And he was so certain that Yuffie wanted to torture him the whole month.

"I think you're taking the fortune of my tea leaves too seriously," he dryly told her, leaning against the door she had previously lead him to and briefly assessing her. Her ninja clothes were ridiculous with how..._skimpy _they looked. Those shorts showed off her tanned, long bare legs too much along with that short-sleeved shirt that just seemed too showy, too. Oh, no. His (he realized now) obviously perverted thoughts overwhelmed him. Stay out of the gutter, idiot!

In the midst of Riku struggling with his current hormonal issue, the sly young ninja sneaked her hands behind his back to turn the knob of the door. Of course, unaware of her doing this, he toppled over on the floor to land heavily on his tailbone. Yeesh, could he ever catch a break from her? Extremely embarrassed at this point, he stood to his feet in a dignified fashion and glared at her dangerously. "Look, I'm getting tired of your tricks already. And for another thing, could you actually wear clothes that cover your body? I'm not exactly turned on by what you wear."

Oh, he knew he said a big, fat lie when he heard it. Judging by her smirk, she knew it, too.

"And I suppose you want me to dress as a librarian?" she teased, staring at him unabashedly into his aqua eyes. "Or what I'm guessing is that you can't help but be a pervert. Try not to stare too much."

A scarlet blush conquered the lightly tan complexion of his face. "But...you—you are... Ugh, good night!"

He swore that she chirped out a cheery "good night" in response, though he refused to acknowledge it, not even from a pretty girl like her. Why did she have to be so pretty? All night long, he could barely sleep due to the thoughts concerning her that swamped his mind. Realizing at about one in the morning that maybe ninjas really did dress that way, he rested with peace in mind. She meant well in her eccentricities by actually trying to make him happy, by treating him as though he was perfectly normal instead of that greedy, darkness obsessed near-demon he once became. Once he pondered over it, he concluded that he should appreciate that naivety about Yuffie. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, especially in the case of what happened back then.

The next morning, after an impromptu awakening from the ninja girl herself ("Come on, Riku, there are things to do, stuff to see!"), he ate his breakfast of poached eggs and accompanied Sora and Leon on a weapon shopping venture. He did see some types of blades that piqued his interest, though he otherwise didn't care for the venture. Admittedly, after that whole grueling adventure, he lost his appetite for fighting. Maybe in a few months he could summon enough enthusiasm to at least spar with Sora to practice. Until then, he merely watched his best friend and Leon synthesize elements they had in possession for weapons from the local Moogle.

"Did you get any interesting weapons?" Riku asked both of them, somewhat curious.

Sora grinned as he showed off the prized, shiny Ultima Weapon. "I finally got this."

The silver haired boy inspected the impressive blade, nodding in approval at the silvery blue color and the reflective quality it had to it. He recalled how much the brunet had complained over the lack of power that the plain in comparison Kingdom Key exerted. In fact, it currently rested in the corner of his bedroom, gathering dust.

"It must have taken a lot of work to have it synthesized," Riku commented.

"Yeah, but it paid off, didn't it?"

Riku pondered briefly over it. "I guess it did. I just wouldn't have had the patience to collect all those items from Heartless."

Leon then motioned over toward the bailey as he told Sora, "You should get some good practice with that weapon."

Distrust glinted in the young adult man's eyes, which narrowed at Riku as though to inform him "you're not coming." And so, the brunets proceeded to abandon their companion near the synthesizing shop, leaving him to his own devices. This devastated him to know that Sora's own friends from anther world considered him a freak. Maybe he was, after all he had done with the power that once emanated from and consumed him as well as what trite words he said to his best friend. Being pushed aside by mere acquaintances only sufficed as his just punishment. Just as he started to become depressed over this deterring circumstance, somebody put their hands over his eyes. Of course, this reminded him of that stupid blindfold he used to wear.

"Guess who," the mysterious person giggled, the tone of voice brimming with playfulness.

Riku could hardly suppress the smirk that established itself on his lips. "Yuffie, what are you up to now? I can tell just by the way you're talking you got some insane idea in mind."

Making a grand show of returning his sight to him, Yuffie stepped in front of him while wearing a cunning sneer on her own face. "Yup, don't I always? I see you're in a better mood than this morning."

"Naturally," he replied with a laugh, gazing at her with his aqua eyes almost flirtatiously.

She noticed by staring in awe at him. "Wow...you're actually kinda sexy when you're agreeable."

"Yeah, well," he crossed his arms, "it's just the way I am."

Mm—hmmm...now, to the ice cream parlor!"

As she energetically jogged toward her destination, he muttered fondly under his breath, "Yeah, like you need sugar."

However, even with these thinly veiled sarcastic words, her ever lively spirit brought a smile to his normally mature, stoic face. He shrugged nonchalantly as if to say "what the heck?" before trailing after Yuffie. To his surprise, she had stopped running just for him, though that didn't prevent her from hopping foot to foot. Once he caught up to her, she burst into an unbridled, free-spirited sprint again all in the name of frozen dessert. In the mean time, Riku broke into an easy-paced jog, since he needed to get an idea where the shop was located. He didn't have to go far, for he noticed Yuffie slow down to open the ice cream parlor door in a matter of minutes. Casually shoving his hands in his jeans pockets, he ambled inside seconds after she entered. Ice cream sounded good right about now.

Riku let his eyes wander the surroundings of this quaint parlor that proved that Radiant Garden had maintained some sense of wholesomeness after the filth of when it was Hollow Bastion. A soda jerk served up orders while his assistant gave them the toppings. Blue and green stripes papered the walls, and a classic black and white checkerboard pattern covered the floor. Cushioned seats and tables lay opposite the ordering desk, from behind which one could see their requested dishes being crafted with culinary artistry. This comfortably pleasant shop seemed to make that simple stall back on the islands look shabby and inferior. Out of the corner of his eye, while ordering eight scoops of ice cream with basic sundae toppings, he saw Yuffie obtain her own dish. She balanced a bowl full of twenty scoops of ice cream of five different flavors and toppings as she cautiously stepped over to a table. Shaking his head at her weird antics, he soon followed her.

"Eight scoops? That's it for you, really?" she asked out of disbelief, piling up the scoops of her portion with her fingers. It appeared as though she was erecting her own mountain made entirely of ice cream. Riku noticed that her slender digits moved swiftly with a dept ninja's reflexes. For all of her weirdness, he had to admit that he was rather impressed by her skills. Before he realized it, he started to imitate her exact movements. "I don't want to get too hyper or, worse, get a brain freeze. You're going to be unlucky, that's for sure. Besides, what is this you're doing?"

"Building an ice cream mountain," Yuffie responded as though it was the most normal thing in the world. "You just pile these scoops up...though I gotta admit, you're doing it wrong."

Confused, one of Riku's eyebrows perked up inquisitively as he pondered over what could be the wrong way of building a mountain like this.

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, eight scoops isn't enough to make something as epic as this. And it's imperative that you get at least two flavors. I mean, chocolate's all you got?" She peered sideways at him through her large pile. "That's so boring! I got vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, rocky road, _and _sherbert. Be creative, Riku!"

Chuckling under his breath at her childish seriousness, he prepared to get up to ask for more ice cream, when Yuffie decided to ask in his place.

Glancing over her shoulder at him, she insisted, "Let me do this. I don't want you to get up and ruin your mountain."

Trying to suppress hearty bouts of laughter at this point, Riku seated himself back down to wait in anticipation for what she would bring him. Quickly, she returned with ten scoops of rocky road and vanilla and dumped the white bowl into his own, mischievously staring at him with her quirky dark orbs.

"Now, construct!" she commanded with a grin, plopping down in her seat to do exactly that.

Smirking in response, he proceeded to build his mountain to great heights (for ice cream) and ensured to place the traditional Maraschino cherry on top of the entire heap as did she. Although both of their graceful peaks had started melting shortly after this along with using up the napkin dispenser, they ate good-naturedly until nothing but the cherries were left. And of course, the young ninja knew better than her new friend across from her what these lone fruits implied.

Almost suggestively flirting with him with her eyes, she murmured with a wink, "Ah, look what we both got left? The cherries, which can prove just how well a person can kiss. Do you want to see how I kiss, Riku? I'll show you."

Don't blush, he told himself, you've only known her for a day. A day! It shouldn't make a difference between being acquaintances and becoming more than that. Besides, what if she ever managed to, by happenstance, dig up the startling past? Even if she was just a friend, he would hate to see the pain and anger in her eyes if she ever found out. Instead of blushing or showing his true emotions that ran every which way, he only smiled encouragingly at her and nodded. Seeing his reaction caused Yuffie to glow with her joyous beaming. Riku admitted that he found this trait very alluring.

With solely that permission alone, she popped the cherry in her mouth and slowly moved her teeth so as not to accidentally swallow the stem. When she spat the stem out, a perfect knot had been formed in the very middle. Impressive as that was, the silver haired boy smirked amusedly, his eyes glinting.

"And I suppose you think you can do better, Mr. Stoic?" Yuffie lightly teased, cupping her chin in her hand as she licked cherry juice off her lips.

"I'm pretty sure I can top it, yeah," he replied and dropped the plump red cherry in his mouth. Within thirty seconds, he ridded himself of the stem, which showed not one but _two _perfect knots.

Amazed, his companion inspected the stem to make sure it was real. "Wow...holy crap! The rare double knotted cherry stem. Only the best kissers can pull this baby off. I think you're my new idol, man."

He disguised his laugh as a cough while crossing his arms to show Yuffie that she would have to do a lot to earn his lips on hers. "I'm not going to test on you, though."

She mock pouted, her tantalizing (to him) lips puckering. "Why not?"

"Don't know...I'm just not up for it." He grinned, deciding to play hard-to-get with her, for he thought she deserved it after all the tricks she pulled on him. Really, Riku knew how cruel this was, but he would tease back if necessary. In an unspoken way, he officially declared a full-out contest: whoever pulled the cleverest tricks won. Simple as that.

"All right, double knot kisser, you'll be sorry!"

Not repressing it this time, Riku let out a long laugh that lasted for five minutes straight.

For the first time around him, Yuffie nearly blushed by simply hearing that rich, infectious laughter that impelled her to smile a small yet genuine smile. She never realized until this moment how cute he was before...more like handsome. Those aqua eyes reminded her of the ocean during a sunny day, and the rays of sunlight that did penetrate through the window currently reflected off his platinum hair. His facial features looked more relaxed than usual, less tense from the burden he must have carried for excruciating months on end. He probably hadn't had a good bout of laughter in ages, actually. Maybe a girl rejected him—ha, rejection, didn't she know the feeling! If she confided in him, would he care or just turn away like _he_...?

In a considerably subdued voice, she told him lowly, "You should laugh more often, Riku."

His smile softened under her abruptly grave, intense gaze that he liked, too. This facial expression displayed that Yuffie had deeper feelings and a thoughtful, mature side to her. Still, he hoped that wherever her thoughts had taken her hadn't made her sad. That was the last thing he wanted.

"I know," he murmured softly, almost tempted to squeeze her hands reassuringly. The moment passed, though, when he added, "Now don't look so serious. That's not the random ninja girl I know. You're the crazy one, remember?"

Her face brightened. "Yeah, and we're a couple of chums now!"

A hint of questioning lined that sentence, which Riku responded with, "Yeah, I would like it that way."

Yuffie whopped and, slightly hyped up on sugar, ran out the door. As expected by now, he followed dutifully.

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**A/N: OK, the inspiration for having some of this chapter take place in an ice cream parlor suddenly came to me one night while I was brushing my teeth. I'm serious, and I know that's pretty ironic. After all, ice cream CAN rot teeth big time. That, and I've always liked the idea of old-fashioned soda fountains from the 1900's. You know, the places where the sundae was invented. I just think that's just one good thing that went away but should come back. Seriously, maybe we don't need Dairy Queen. Then again, how will I ever eat an Oreo Blizzard again?**

**Forget the rant. All you know is that this chapter was kinda weird. Especially when Riku had semi-perverted thoughts in the chapter earlier. That was really weird for me to write. But hey, I AM writing in a dude's POV, after all. XD**


	4. Sights and Sounds and Serious

**A/N: Hi again! I don't expect a whole lot of reviews from this story, considering it's a YuRiku and kinda like an indie flick of a fic. By that, I mean it has many, many quirks. It also only covers a mere summer vacation. In this chapter, things get somewhat serious...yet random dancing ensues as well. Enjoy. XD**

**Disclaimer: I no owney the Kingdom Hearts-y.**

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**Chapter 4: Sights and Sounds and Serious Conversations**

A few weeks passed during the summer vacation, and Yuffie and Riku found themselves becoming unbelievably fast friends. Every mealtime when the whole group collectively gathered, they each made a beeline for chairs near each other to just talk. Usually, since their conversations were peppered with jokes, they laughed so hard that the food they ate almost caught in their throats. In fact, Aerith had already performed the Heimlich maneuver twice on the enthusiastically optimistic ninja girl. Their relationship bordering between friendship and flirting, the two teenagers proved to be very compatible companions, no matter how unlikely. Sora and Kairi grinned knowingly every time they looked at those two, smiling appreciatively at the potential their friends had to become so much more. Meanwhile, Aerith kept alluding to the tea leaves' reading in Riku's cup on that first day, casually commenting on how accurate they may be.

The sky pilot Cid admitted half-jokingly to Yuffie that he was glad that "that boy is around, because I thought I'd never get you out of my hair." She giggled at that dry remark, for she knew that was just typical of that middle-aged curmudgeon. Out of the whole group, though, one person objected strongly to the prospect of young love between Riku and Yuffie. Leon Leonheart disliked seeing one of his own friends condescending to actually speak to such a despicable boy, especially someone formerly from the deepest, blackest darkness. Simply speaking, Leon distrusted someone like that, and he was also angry at what he thought to be Yuffie's naivety. So quiet yet forceful was his rage that he refused to even glance at either of them. Of course, much to his emotional hurt, Riku couldn't help but notice this. Rejection stung above all else, and he very much tired of people staring upon him in complete disgust.

Presently, he resolved to ignore Leon's own subtle disdain by living daily vacation life without thinking about it too much. When he woke up one morning, he decided that he would hang out with his close friends today. While eating French toast for breakfast, he glimpsed Yuffie sliding down the banister of the stairs to emerge in the kitchen. She wore an indigo kimono with an intricate white leaf pattern that caught him off-guard. Elegantly, the cloth of the robe descended down to the floor to form a slight train, and her sleeves looked almost as long. She appeared so beautiful in her morning attire that his eyes seemed to fasten on her at once.

"You look great," he politely complimented, hoping that he wasn't blushing at the moment.

"Thanks!" she beamed, twirling around gracefully. "I usually don't wear this, but no one else is up yet."

And yet she wasn't afraid to wear that kimono around him, he noted, not like he minded that. Besides, he wondered why she didn't wear it every morning for that matter.

As if reading Riku's thoughts, Yuffie abruptly brought up, "It's only because I hate people seeing me not wear my traditional ninja clothes. Anything that's girly is just embarrassing for me to wear."

"Really?" He raised an inquisitive brow out of shock at what she said. Anything she wore looked exquisite on her, and he started to wonder if she suffered from an inferiority complex or something like that. Perhaps she simply had a pride issue, since wearing anything remotely feminine forced her to shrink in confidence and feel more vulnerable. Once Riku thought of it this way, he realized that Yuffie might seem extremely complex than what her fearless personality suggested.

And once considering that, she attracted him more deeply than ever before. Staring at her across the table, as she took the last slice of scrumptious French toast, he slowly fell for her.

Currently, she sniffed the alluring odors of the kitchen and sighed, "Wow, it smells like toast in the whole kitchen! You're a better cook than I am."

"It's just toast," he pointed out, chuckling at what delight she took in something as miniscule as that. "So, anyway, about that kimono...Why are you wearing it around me then, if you're so set on people not see you in it?"

Yuffie actually blushed and managed to stutter out, "I—It's a l—long story."

"It's only six-thirty. Tell me," Riku implored as he finished off his glass of orange juice.

Sighing heavily again, she stood up to pour coffee beans into the urn of the coffee maker along with a splash of hot water to prepare her favorite breakfast beverage. She appeared rather nervous to him as well as apprehensive about her story. So, she decided to tell it in a nutshell.

"One time, when Squall saw me wear this at night, he told me I looked like a turkey trying to look like a peacock. He joked, of course, since he's my friend. But...it...kind of...hurt."

Oh, so she was insecure. Riku couldn't say for certain that he was surprised by this, but he did think Leon quite stupid for making that joke. The man thought himself a stud anyway, he darkly assumed. Hadn't he noticed the beaming presence she brought whenever she walked into a room?

"If I were you," Riku advised, looking Yuffie boldly in the eyes, "I'd ignore him. I like your style."

Somewhat embarrassed by his kind comment, she almost spilled the coffeepot as she took it out from the machine. No one must have told her she was beautiful this rashly before. Either that, or she simply was flattered beyond words. Sure, Riku was used to stunning girls into silence (it wasn't that difficult to do on the islands), but Yuffie being quiet seemed vaguely out of place. This shouldn't matter, though, if she approved of his remark.

She soon reverted back to her cheery, bright, and _Yuffie _self. "Thank you, sir! Your charming knight in shining armor self shines through again. And I must say it's almost blinding."

Riku shrugged like it was no big deal, but he just adored her contagious grin. "Anything I can do to help."

Pouring herself a warm mug of coffee, she drank it down and proceeded to skip up the stairs.

What the silver haired adolescent didn't see was that the ninja girl performed a happy dance in a circle while whispering loudly, "He likes my style!" excitedly. No guy had ever made her feel this awesome, this unconquerable before. Even though she proved she could eke it out on her own, some compliments from the member of the opposite sex didn't hurt her self-esteem. No, she only thrived on such positive energy; inevitably, she soaked it up like the sun in the afternoon. In the mean time, Riku swore that he heard a victorious whisper from the girl upstairs, and he laughed a little from her cuteness. She actually valued his opinion just as much as he treasured hers. They could work out in this budding, blossoming relationship that could be so much more.

Three hours later, he stepped out the door with his friends Sora and Kairi while he merrily whistled. Of course, since he moped during his respite at the islands, the couple couldn't help but notice this change of attitude on his part. All he needed all along was Yuffie to cast her entrancing spell on him. The chemistry between those two was so obvious that even Sora realized what unfolded before his eyes. For Riku's sake, though, he only did what a loyal best friend would do.

"So, Riku," Sora started speaking in a sly tone, one of his blue eyes threatening to wink, "when are you and Yuffie getting married?"

Barely believing what just came out of his best friend's mouth, Riku almost tripped over his own shoes. Why would he even suggest such a thing? Marriage...oh, Sora had better be kidding about that.

"Hopefully not any time soon," he replied, setting his jaw more tightly than usual. "We're not even dating."

Kairi punched Sora in the arm half-jokingly yet gave him a serious look. "Come on, Sora, don't pressure him! If he wants to be with Yuffie, he'll be with her on his own time."

Riku managed to glance over at the lovely couple who seemed to glow like Christmas lights when they were around each other. It was _almost_ like with him and the Wutai native girl, but he believed they still had a way to go regarding that. Maybe he would never experience a love like the one that Sora and Kairi shared, which nearly discouraged him. However, he knew better than anyone that he needed to perk up for the sake of having a fun time with his friends out on the town. They could go shopping, wander about each and every crevice, and just enjoy merely looking at this beautiful place.

So, he opted to suggest, "What are we still doing here? Let's just hang out."

"Agreed, Riku, agreed," Sora replied as he nodded enthusiastically and patted his friend on the back. "I think we should go to that stall over there to try some hats."

"That one over there looks pretty interesting," Kairi grinned, pointing to a floppy stovepipe that looked almost cartoonish. "I always wanted to have a hat like that."

As they wandered over to the stall to laughingly try on hats, Yuffie managed to appear before the by performing her perfect backflips for the trio. Even though this tempted Riku to call her a shameless show-off, he couldn't help but be impressed by her skills. He couldn't believe he ever doubted her credibility as a ninja. Then again, cynicism had gotten the best of him back then.

She proceeded to stride toward the stall to select a ridiculous looking cowboy hat that had neon colors of lime green and electric blue. In an insane fashion, she pretended to square dance with an imaginary partner before turning to Riku, whom she offered her arm to. Once he gave his silent approval (since he couldn't say no to her at this stage), she drawled out a long "yee-haw!" and swung him in dizzying circles. Sora and Kairi, thoroughly amused that Riku truly accepted Yuffie's offer to dance like a maniac, could hardly suppress their laughter over the whole situation.

After their dancing concluded, the ninja told the stall owner, "I'll take this ht, thank you.

"I gotta say, Yuffie, you're making me do things I never thought up before," Riku remarked with honest amusement in his tone. These days, he couldn't wait to see what zany thing Yuffie did next.

She smiled calmly at him. "Thanks, Riku. Well, I gotta go and help Aerith with her store. See ya!"

The trio of friends then spent the day peering at shopping kiosks to ponder over what to buy. After looking them over, Riku ended up buying a pair of fingerless gloves, Sora bought a cute fake silver necklace for Kairi who bought a pair of clip-on butterfly earrings and nachos for her boyfriend. As they passed one more stall before continuing toward the Crystal Fissure, Riku spent some of his munny on a purple silk headband for Yuffie. He felt that since Sora bought something for the girl of their dreams, he should at least purchase something for the girl who expanded his outlook on life. Due to the depressing feelings of solitude he suffered through and the hardships he faced battling his demons, he thought that this was real life. The meaning of it to him had hitherto implied overcoming painful obstacles. But, Yuffie opened his eyes to what good things life had to offer, the simple things that could be easily missed. All the same, though, they were significant.

At the Crystal Fissure, where the sun glinted off so many crystals in such a cramped area, they ate food that had been in a picnic basket that Kairi carried. She wanted all of them to share a moment like this to have the sense of tranquility and peace that reigned through their islands. To converse about ordinary topics as well as to relax by telling jokes was the whole idea behind the picnic. Sure enough, the three of them enjoyed themselves with the food serving as a particular bonus. After the hard work they put in this past adventure, they all thought they deserved a break. Even Riku's opinion matched those of his friends when it came to this. Maybe he wasn't so wretched a person as he once deemed himself. As Sora made up a joke about the long gone Xemnas, he chuckled heartily in the knowledge that his friend made light of a dangerous villain like the Organization XIII leader.

Eventually, even with the fun of lazily hanging out on a hot summer day, there was still the incessant kissing that occurred between Sora and Kairi. OK, so he wasn't as bitter about losing out on the girl as he had been the night of that party. Riku and Kairi were better off as childhood friends who grew up together on the same islands, nothing more and less. Besides, as he considered before, his some people were just meant to be together as foretold by a higher power. He would stand by and watch his two friends together without feeling too awkward about it. Romance was clearly in the air for them, so who was he to judge? At this point, the only thing he could do presently was to eat the last of the fresh apples that grew in Radiant Garden's attractive orchards. Juice slid down his chin as he crisply bit into the red skin. This tasted better than a pair of lips any day.

However, a different story unfolded once the trio returned to the townhouse, where Leon asked to talk to Riku in private. He knew no good could come of this, since a confrontation would ensue between the two men who had a lot in common yet differed in personal opinions of each other. It was a shame, but Leon insisted on being distrustful and wary of people from the dark, even from somebody on the road to dawn like him. They stood out near the Dark Depths, since this was one of the few locations around Radiant Garden where there was even a remote chance of privacy. His steel blue eyes narrowed out of disdain toward his younger peer, Leon quietly thought over what to say. When he did speak, his voice came off as low, resentful. "I know of your friendship with Yuffie. If you know what's good for you, you won't try to go out of your way to be with her any more."

Suppressing his own anger by clenching his trembling fists, Riku calmly asked, "Why? Do you really think that I'm so bad that I would mistreat her?"

Her bright, pleasant looking face shone exquisitely in his mind, her dark eyes playfully taunting him. Just because a single friend of hers despised him didn't mean he would automatically stop associating with her. He knew her too well to go back now.

Though Leon sighed heavily, he patted his belt in which his Gunblade was cinched. "It's just that you once belonged to the darkness. If you hurt my friend with it, I'll make sure you don't come here again."

So the brunet man did consider him a despicable freak. But, using darkness against Yuffie—what a load that theory was. Being accused of utilizing evil again almost forced Riku to lose his temper.

Instead of displaying his pure rage in front of Leon (because that would probably show a potentially "abusive" side), he moodily breathed out the repressed emotion. Unable to hear one more word of false accusation, he decided to start walking away. Refusing to leave without saying some final words, though, he glanced over his shoulder to stare with scorching aqua eyes at that Leonheart.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't intend on hurting Yuffie. What's going to disappoint you even more is that I see the value in just being with her. At least I don't call her a turkey for personal laughs."  
Even though he knew that Leon meant no ill at the time, Riku preferred to blame Yuffie's complex on someone. Why not that stoic brunet man? In any case, he left Leon/Squall/whatever the heck he wanted to call himself speechless. No one could stop Riku from being with her—no one and nothing.

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**A/N: OK, all together now for the last line--1, 2, 3, AWWWWWWWW! XD Forbidden love...or so it will feel like. A few facts about this chapter.**

**1) Leon being a vague meaniehead to Yuffie (in a way) was just an idea I had for showing that Riku is better (though I love Squiffie). **

**And**

**2) The whole Yuffie saying, "He likes my style!" is sort of a reference to Howl's Moving Castle, when Calcifer yells, "She likes my spark!" after Sophie tells him that.**

**Just wanted to keep you guys entertained with fun facts. OK, they're not really that fun, but I tried. Review pwease! It's almost V-Day. XD Though I usually hate the holiday, I did something for someone I like, and he appreciated it. XDD Yeah, just review, you guys don't need to hear about my sappy stories.**


	5. Materia Addictions and Romantic Exploits

**A/N: OK, the goal for me here is to get the last chapter up by V-Day. This story is almost finished already, since it was meant to be short but have large chapters. This particular one demonstrates a sincerity and heart that I found that I put in huge doses. XD After all, this is supposed to be a romantic fic, after all.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts...or Riku. DX Hahaha, oh well!**

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**Chapter 5: Materia Addictions and Romantic Exploits**

Two days later, due to lack of anything better to do, Leon wandered off to explore the premises around the abandoned castle by himself. Also, the fact that Aerith lightly mentioned that their overall materia supply had drastically lowered since two years ago provided Leon with something to do. He could serve a purpose again to his once ragtag group of refugees. To his satisfaction, he discovered roughly a thousand or so materia orbs in a cool cavern, where he collected enough for everyone back at the townhouse. He distributed five orbs to everyone, even to Riku, the one boy whom he had been at odds with for a while. However, despite the not-so-friendly relations between them, Leon settled on being generous by giving out free materia. Why not? The kid couldn't possibly be as evil as he used to be on that fateful year last year. But, he remained wary, considering his nature basically insisted on being cautious until fully knowing someone.

Meanwhile, Yuffie's materia addiction that had lain dormant for all this time returned with a vengeance. She figured that five orbs was nothing compared to ten, twenty, fifty, or a hundred of those sweet, shiny things. Even the approximate half she carefully concealed in her near-exploding closet (thus why the overall supply diminished in the first place) could be hardly considered sufficient. She wanted more materia; she _needed _more materia, desperately so. If she ignored her craving, she would become obnoxious. So, later that night, she used her ninja stealth to skulk the townhouse to get more orbs. Despite the fact materia had no scent, Yuffie went so far as to sniff the air. No good, no precious materia, she thought as a pout puffed out her lips. Still, her skills were keen, since she managed to pilfer some from the living room couch cushions.

"Nice try, Cid," she cackled in an almost maniacal fashion, assuming that the pilot would be so stupid to try a stunt like that. "You can't hide the good stuff from me."

Like someone deprived of poisonous drugs, she thoroughly checked each and every room for materia. For the most part, she came up mostly empty, though what few discoveries she did stumble upon made her rejoice. Kleptomania wouldn't be the right word for her, because her mania was more like a disease, comparatively. Lusting for even more materia than the estimated two hundred orbs she had in possession, she tiptoed up the stairs to Riku's room. As much as she normally hated to go to such extremes, she was sure that maybe his kindness would compel him to donate his materia to her. At least Squall had been nice to him this time.

Yuffie hoped this door wouldn't creak as she cautiously opened it, but luckily, no sound was to be heard...apart from Riku's calm breathing. Wow, one of the few guys who didn't inadvertently snore while sleeping—could he be more this out-of-this-world unbelievable? OK, she had to cut to the chase regarding this issue. Where did he keep his darn materia? Just as she prepared to crawl under his bed, she heard an abrupt gasp that emerged from him, a sound that spoke of such obvious fear that it unnerved her. In all these weeks of knowing Riku, she expected him to be fearless, cool and calm about everything. What could torment someone like him to the point of displaying the slightest hint of discomfort? For once disregarding her nagging obsession of more materia, she lifted her head from under the bed.

Sweat had broken out on his brow, trickling down his temples to disappear under that ridiculously long yet beautiful mane of silver hair. He winced from the pain that his haunting nightmare caused him while he kept grabbing at the sheets. Totally concerned at this point, Yuffie touched his forehead to wipe away the beads of perspiration. Poor kid, he's probably been through more than anyone of his age should suffer. She noted that a miserable groan escaped his lips before his beautiful eyes fluttered open.

"Yuffie," he whispered, those captivating eyes narrowing. "What are you doing here?"

She nearly fell backwards before recoiling like a spring. "Oh, um, I was just searching for materia. It's nothing big. Well, I'll leave right now if you really want me to."

Before she could trip out of the bedroom quickly, Riku's hand gripped her wrist tightly to prevent her from leaving. A red blush spread across her face right then and there.

"Don't go," he huskily breathed, sitting up in bed as he did so. She noted that he wore the same clothes from today, so he must have been asleep before he realized it. As Yuffie leaned over him to hear what he might have to say, he gently pushed her on the bed. In a somewhat affectionate manner, he cupped her cheek, and she gazed at him. She couldn't believe the expression on his face, which looked so vulnerable, so...sad practically.

However, he seemed to brush off this sorrow, since a smirk touched his lips. "You can have my materia. I don't need it."

Nearly squealing, she practically jumped up and down before Riku promptly showed her the orbs, which she eagerly took back to her room.

The next morning, when Yuffie awakened with her newly acquired materia (she was set on protecting it last night), she suddenly remembered Riku and how scared he appeared in his sleep last night. All of those facial contortions showed how much in complete anguish he was. According to what Aerith told her once, he was emotionally tortured by the repercussions of his dark past. He betrayed both Sora and Kairi to gain power, though that hadn't been the original intention. Sora must have told the flower girl this, so Yuffie assumed that maybe he considered her too excitable to inform her of this. She wished that he would have, though, so she could help Riku placate his fears. No danger would come to him if he stayed in the lighter side that represented good and avoided the vile darkness. When she proudly emerged from her room wearing the kimono that he liked so well, she discovered he wasn't even there to eat breakfast as usual.

Worried for his sake, she ran outside in her robe without even wearing her ninja garb but only her underclothes under the kimono instead. Riku was way more important than fashion right now. She searched throughout the town first, but all she found were the confused glances of people who thought her weird for wearing these light, thin clothes. So, she tried searching for him on the outskirts of Radiant Garden until she espied a lone figure standing on the jutting cliff of the Dark Depths. His familiar silver hair stood out for her in that instant.

"Riku!" she called out his name, and he turned to face her. Aquamarine eyes brightened considerably upon recognizing Yuffie standing there. Previously, they had been glazed over in thought, contemplation over the past.

"Yuffie," he murmured warmly in a tone that set her heart in a passionate blaze.

She had never heard him say her name with such...ardor before, showing for certain that he valued their friendship. These past four weeks weren't all for naught after all. The two of them had become so intimately close that she realized that maybe this could escalate to so much more. Offering his hands to her, he took hold of her own and squeezed them. Something in his eyes glowed exuberantly then, the sunlit rays playing off the very color perfectly.

Almost dazed by his affection, Yuffie stated seriously, "I need to talk to you."

His light colored eyebrows furrowed. "About what?"

"Anything and everything," she replied airily, her famous (as well as infamous) smile returning. Riku readily agreed to the offer, perching on the cliff as he patted the spot next to him.

Nothing but vivid azure sky stretched endlessly above them, looking extremely inviting for deep conversations such as theirs. To start off, though, they remained quiet to enjoy this peaceful Sunday summer morning. Sighing, Yuffie stretched her legs out before tilting her head to Riku, expecting him to say something. He appeared as though he wished to yet something inevitably held him back. And since she would hate to pressure him, she resumed gazing out into that stretch of barren wasteland.

Just as she thought he would stay silent for five more minutes, he muttered, "You know, something happened this summer before we came here. It bothered me for a while, but I realized that those two crazy kids were meant for each other. Who was I to think otherwise?"

Riku grinned regarding Sora and Kairi and the memory of his learning not to interfere with fate itself.

Somewhat disappointed as she managed to figure out that he once had strong feelings for Kairi, the dreamy smile that established itself on Yuffie's face disappeared. She should have known that a kind, impeccable guy like him would have a heart that belonged to someone else. The redheaded girl looked like a supermodel that would compliment his sex godliness nicely. Why hadn't she had the common sense to think of the possibility before? Oh, that's right...

"You loved Kairi, didn't you?" she spoke in a voice she couldn't discern, so small and timid.

Unbeknownst to her, he glanced over at her tenderly. "I thought I did before Sora accidentally brought me back to reality."

Guessing the implication of these words, Yuffie smirked while playing with a strand of her hair. "You saw them kiss, didn't you?"

Recollecting that flashback that at the time felt so ludicrous, Riku chuckled at the make-out session he unintentionally witnessed that night. "To say the least, they were going at it."

She joined in his laughter, so that both of them enjoyed each other's company. However, hearing of Riku's rejection brought back hurtful memories for Yuffie, who quickly sobered.

"I was like you once...about a year ago," she said softly, almost so that only he could hear her and nobody else. "You know Squall, right? Or that ugly _Leon _name he likes to be known as now. Well, I had a...a bit of a crush on him for a while. Then, once Hollow Bastion became Radiant Garden again, the phone lines randomly worked. So...after that, when I thought he liked me back, it turned out he still loved Rinoa. I heard him talk to her on the phone, too."

Considerably humbled by the mere thought of this, Yuffie dabbed at her eyes with her kimono sleeve.

Sincerely believing that she needed a reliable person at the moment, Riku draped a strong arm around her shoulders to comfort her. Appreciating the benevolence of this gesture, she leaned against his shoulder and compulsively touched his arm. Wow, he had some muscles! Of course, fighting through various Heartless and Nobodies as well as probably play fighting as a child would cause him to get this toned.

"So we've both faced rejection, haven't we?" he asked softly, rhetorically while playing with her black hair. She loved the way he did that, as though he could spend hours doing this. When she was starting to relax into his touch, he slowly, reluctantly removed his arm from her shoulders. It was then that Yuffie decided to bring up an entirely different topic, noting, "You know that ruined old castle over there? I heard the King and Queen of this place lived here. They had a daughter, who was raised by the Queen's mother when the parents were busy with royal duties."

The silver haired boy stared at her curiously out of the corner of his eye, feeling doubtful over the fact that this hideous castle once served as a residence for a king and queen. And the Princess of Heart must have lived here...

"Kairi must have lived here," he told himself thoughtfully before looking back at her unsurely. If she knew that, then she probably knew of when he fell into the nearly inescapably darkness. Aware of his uncertainty to reveal his alleged secret, Yuffie laid her hand on top of his and squeezed it. Sympathy radiated in her dark eyes as she did this as well as an entirely new emotion.

Slightly anxious that she would anger him, she informed him, "Riku, I know what happened to you. Aerith told me."

Shocked, Riku practically spluttered out, "Wh—What?"

She returned her stare to the castle, thoroughly ashamed that she would end up having to admit this to him. Now, this might totally upset the balance of their companionship.

"Yeah," she murmured, still afraid to look at him. "She told me everything. She said she didn't know how it began, but she's confident about the ending. Riku...I don't think less of you for this. I actually admire you, about how brave you were. Great Ninjas like me aspire to be like that."

Riku couldn't understand why she wasn't beating him up or condoning his prior actions. "I wasn't brave, Yuffie. I was a coward—I still am. That nightmare I had last night proved it."

"Nightmare...?" she breathed out, though he confirmed her suspicions.

"It was about _him_," he answered stolidly, the mere mention of Ansem haunting him again.

He could never forget the cold sensation that was being possessed, worse than the kiss of death.

Forcing Yuffie's head to turn so that their eyes locked again, Riku added, "That's what I wanted to tell you about last night, but I didn't think you would want to hear it. I just ignored my instincts and decided to humor your materia obsession instead."

He smiled once bringing up the materia and her skulking, which made her dryly return the smile. "You know, that only started because my life at Wutai was less than perfect. So, for a while, I was a materia thief so I could forget about my stupid dad and his greedy dreams. Since I mainly did it because of that, I was a full-fledged klepto by twelve."

Funny, how she surprised herself. She never discussed her past so candidly before, and Riku looked like he was happy that she confided in him.

He proceeded to resolve to take his turn, to tell the contents of his horrific nightmare, so that she could gain a better understanding of him.

"My nightmare's been recurring lately. It's Ansem chasing me, trying to get me to join his side again. I know he's dead, but...he could return."

Yuffie placed her hands firmly on his shoulders. "He won't come back. I'll make sure he won't. I'll—"

To signal that he hadn't finished, he held up his hand. "But, then, I felt your hand on my face, and everything disappeared. He was gone and not just gone...He basically drowned in light. It was because of you, Yuffie. You saved me in an unintentional, crazy sort of way."

Weary of being serious, she beamed from the fact that she could do so much. "I'm glad I could be of service, Mr. Knight in Shining Armor. I guess I gave you my ninja stars."

He chuckled gently while he dug the purple silk headband out of his pocket. "That you did. And I'll give you this as your reward."

Gasping from sheer joy, Yuffie took the headband with quavering hands. "Oh, Riku, it's beautiful! I never even told you that purple is my favorite color."

Riku smiled, seeing how much she truly loved his gift. "It's the least I could do."

Enfolding her in his warm embrace, he kissed her very close to her lips but not quite. As he tucked stray hairs away from her face, he whispered, "Thank you."

He then mysteriously left her, and she sensed the heat from his lips for five more minutes.

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**A/N: I'm thinking this is probably the most romantic chapter I wrote for anything. I don't know, but I remember really liking the way this one turned out.**

**Last chapter out tomorrow, guys! XD**


	6. Don't Stop Here

**A/N: This chapter title is taken from my fave verse off the song "Collide", for which this story is named. However, it's really not a songfic again, because I don't want to get sued. XD Seriously, though, I love the song to death. And, since this is V-Day, I thought putting up this chapter would be fitting. Again. But, yeah, this song makes me think of this one guy...but you all don't need to know that. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the song.**

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**Chapter 6: Don't Stop Here**

Just this one last day, Riku thought as he stared contemplatively out the guest room window, and the three of them would go home again. He couldn't believe how time flew during this vacation, but Sora insisted that they should return to the islands to arrange plans regarding the letter. If only they could stay here for a few more months, years...forever. For the oddest reason that he himself was beginning to discern, something (more specifically, _someone_) compelled him to stay. And that someone made him realize that he never wanted to leave Radiant Garden. As often dramatized in epics, he might never see this place again after his departure. Riku sighed, pushing the window open to let the summer breeze calm his apprehensions; only then would he truly be placated. Even so, her face appeared within the peripherals of his mind, despite him closing his eyes. He always liked how her face looked, so pixie-like and inviting.

That moment of confessions and self-discovery on that day had brought them even close together, closer than he personally would have ever suspected. Those tea leaves were right after all, he supposed. On the heels of Kairi's inadvertent rejection, he had managed to fall in love with somebody else, a girl with a quirky sense of humor and high hopes for accomplishing her dreams. Somehow, her offbeat charisma had drawn him to her along with those twinkling dark brown eyes.

He had to tell her, considering he revealed his secrets to her before. Honestly, he would do it again with the one admission he wished to say aloud. Resolve strengthening, Riku slammed the window shut to eagerly (contrasting from his usual stoic nature—the one thing she had been right about him) descend rapidly down the stairs. Since Leon was the only one in the house at the moment, he would ask him.

Even though the two men had patched things up with their trust issues, both still felt exceedingly awkward around each other. After all, it is never easy to become friends after an intense rivalry such as the one they had previously shared. Planning to come off as somewhat casual, Riku picked an apple from the fruit bowl and played catch with it to himself.

"Hey, Leon, do you know where Yuffie is?" he asked, his heart abruptly pounding at the mention of her name.

The Gunblade wielder finished off polishing his weapon. "She's out at the bailey. Why?"

"Thanks," was all the silver haired teen replied. He proceeded to head off in the general direction of that area, not stopping for a second. Leave it to him to wait until the last minute for saying the most important thing in his life. Oh well, better late than never.

Luckily, it didn't take very long for him to find the ninja girl leaning out against a stone precipice that jutted out toward the Radiant Garden skyline. For once, she seemed to actually stop and stay in the same place while only thinking. Riku didn't know what she pondered over, but he approached her without a word of greeting. She seemed lost beyond being dragged back to reality, her almost childish eyes glazed with daydreaming. Once he touched her shoulder gently, though, she jumped nearly ten feet in the air for a shocked reaction. With his joking, mischievous smirk, Riku chuckled from seeing her nervous, since that adjective was usually the opposite of her personality. When her brief look of anxiety passed, Yuffie joined in his laughter, still adoring it like she had the whole month. But, that wasn't the only thing she loved about him—no, far from it. She picked out little quirks that fascinated her.

For instance, she loved the way his aquamarine eyes sparkled whenever he tried to be serious around her, which he could rarely pull off. She loved that slight jerk of his mouth whenever he attempted to stifle one of his famous chuckles. And the manner in which he grasped her hand in recent days (so tenderly that the gesture felt all too right) sent her pleased tingles up her spine. Most of all, she loved the way he would flick back his silver strands of hair every so often, accidentally appearing to play the role of the debonair, suave guy who he didn't even know he was. Due to that complex of his, he probably thought that he was incapable of such a thing. Yuffie liked that modest quality about him, though, so different from all the egomaniacs she encountered.

Now, as he smiled softly at her, she sensed that her heart had momentarily stopped its beating, even as she managed to stutter out, "H—Hi."

"Hi," he said smoothly, but his eyes darted about somewhat anxiously.

"I heard you're leaving tomorrow," she stated gravely, brightening slightly as she added, "But, you're a hero! And what a hero's gotta do, a hero's gotta do, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess so...though I doubt heroes have an entire fan club devoted to them."

Caught off-guard for a few seconds, she then snickered. "You have a fan club?"

"Unfortunately, and it's led by Selphie Tilmett."

"Really? I hope I have no competition!"

Riku glanced at the precipice opposite the one on which they stood. "Believe me, you don't."

A wide smile practically lit her up optimistic face along with a very faint blush flushing her cheeks. After he returned his gaze back to her, he realized just how beautiful she looked before him. Maybe not quite ethereal yet still a presence nonetheless; frankly, her presence was enough to dizzy him out of what he could only describe as sheer adoration. He thought that his affections would remain toward Kairi for forever and a day, but this was what the real thing was in its true form, its perfect entity. Love filled his eyes, his soul, and throughout his entire being toward another girl who clearly displayed love requited, he could see that now. Yuffie stared back in a peaceful tranquility that originated from a similar emotion. Closing what little space remained between them, he took her hands in his.

"Yuffie," he murmured with the hint of this emotion, "this month has been the greatest one of my life."

Keeping that charming smile of hers on her face, she told him, "Well, you know, of course it was. You're free from the darkness, you're close as ever with your friends, and you're here."

He leaned toward her right ear in which he whispered, "With you. You forgot to mention the best part."

The dainty blush previously shown on her face darkened. "Oh, well, I actually never thought..."

"But, I do. I want to be with you. I love _you_."

As soon as these words left his lips, her legs turned to gelatin so that she felt wobbly to the point that she almost fell down. However, Riku's arms acted as her safety net once they wrapped themselves around her lower waist, causing her to cling to his neck. She stroked his strong yet soft face that almost symbolized the boy he formerly was and the man that he had become. He'd been through enough to be considered a man now.

Finally, a slight smirk distorting her lips, she responded half-jokingly with, "It's about time you said that, Riku. I've been waiting this whole month, yeesh. I guess the tea leaves were right after all."

"I guess so."

Cradling his face between her two hands (even though at this point, her ears reddened as well), she whispered back, "I love you, too...just so you know."

That was all Riku needed for encouragement, for he brushed his lips passionately against hers, proving that he hadn't been bluffing on the day of ice cream mountains. If he could create a double knotted cherry stem, then he could certainly kiss a girl. And man, could he kiss! This was the inward realization Yuffie had, which made her grin devilishly on the inside.

On the outside, though, she stayed perpetually calm as well as tenderly loving as she returned his kiss. Eventually, both of them needed air, so they unlocked their lips.

"Whew, double-knotted cherry stem kisser, you sure live up to your reputation!" she exclaimed, dark eyes glittering like the stars.

"As do you, single-knotted cherry stem kisser," Riku retorted harmlessly, an actual grin coming to his lips. Yuffie's happiness was just that contagious. He could catch it like the common cold any day of the week.

She mock pouted in her usual style. "Don't put it like that! But, if you insist...Oh, hey, speaking of which, do you want to go to the ice cream parlor with me?"

Already experiencing summer vacation nostalgia, he impulsively agreed without a second thought.

That afternoon had been filled with much kissing and many meaningful glances that could give him a lifetime of romantic memories to place in the photo album of his mind. The two of them hardly left each other all day and even slept outside that night, letting the moonlight cast its spellbinding rays on two sleeping figure that had their arms draped over each other. Of course, with all this love going on, it made departure morning especially hard for Riku. He kept packing and unpacking the suitcases that rested on the guest room bed, opting at one point to not participate in the next quest at all. But, he knew it was his duty. After all, he needed to show his friends how serious he was about earning their trust back.

Before he boarded the gummi ship, he bid goodbye to the Radiant Garden group, taking the longest with Yuffie. She sported his gift of the purple headband proudly, he noticed, as she gave him a lasting embrace with a kiss to boot.

"Don't say goodbye," she said half-whimsically, half-seriously. "We'll see each other soon."

"Yeah, I know we will," Riku agreed whole-heartedly, happy that she viewed this as a beginning and not an end.

In a rather mature way, she dropped her voice. "Wherever you are, I'm close behind."

He nodded and gave a farewell wave to her before getting on the ship. And, as it zoomed out of the atmosphere (Yuffie waved the whole time), he knew that he and she collided perfectly in their romance, one he would never forget.

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**A/N: Done! Yes! Romance squirt cheese all over the place. XD Sorry for my random metaphors. Thanks everyone who reviewed, including Rawkstar Vienna, who tirelessly reviewed every chapter. Well, you were probably wide awake anyway, but I'm just being random again. Have a happy V-Day, guys. You all can do what I do: sit on my butt, watching chick flicks while eating chocolate.**

**'Cause that's what single people do. YAY, SINGLE PEOPLE! YAY, YURIKU! YAY, THIS KILLER SONG THAT INSPIRED EVERYTHING AND STILL DOES TO THIS VERY DAY!!!! I'll shut up now to let you guys review. XD**


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